Looking for the best oil pastels in town? Look no further! We’ve curated a list of the best oil pastels in the market so keep reading!
Oil pastels have become well-loved by many artists for quick sketching, painting, and scraping & impasto techniques. This medium is a beginner’s favorite because it’s easy to use and produces beautiful results.
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About Oil Pastels
Oil pastels are art mediums known for their waxy consistency and creamy texture. They resemble oil paints and can even create impasto effects when built and layered heavily. Oil pastels are versatile. They can give superb effects by executing various shading techniques and they deliver a smooth application, which makes them a favorite among many artists.
With impeccable vibrancy, oil pastels are incredible to use as they have exceptional stability. These pastel sticks don’t easily break or crumble and they don’t leave dust or particles. With practice and effort, you’ll soon create a masterpiece using this medium.
If you are just getting started and are looking for the best oil pastels to practice with, here are our favorites.
The Best Oil Pastels
Sennelier Oil Pastel Assorted Set
The Sennelier Oil Pastel is one of the highest quality oil pastels on the market and this set is suitable for experienced pastel artists. Supposedly, this brand is Picasso’s favorite pastel and it’s the best compliment that an art medium can ever have.
The Sennelier Oil Pastels are thick and creamy which can be a little difficult for beginners to use but can create beautiful and intricate art pieces for professional artists. The quality is top-notch that the end result has a similar effect to actual oil paints.
What We Like:
- The perfect pastels for professional artists
- Great for base layers
- Has a creamy flow
- Non-toxic
- Very workable and versatile
What We Dislike:
- Non-beginner-friendly
- Some colors are duller when not mixed properly
- Expensive
Mungyo Gallery Soft Oil Pastels Set
This brand is very popular in the oil pastels community and if you’ve been watching tutorials, you might have heard about it already.
The quality of the Mungyo Gallery Oil Pastels is very much like the Sennelier ones, but they come at a more affordable price. The pastels are smooth and buttery, and this is why a lot of artists prefer this brand. The coverage is compact and the pastel’s texture and consistency are superb, and they have rich and vibrant colors, making them a perfect choice for beginners.
What We Like:
- Affordable Price
- Easy and simple to use, very beginner-friendly
- Has wonderful quality
- Highly pigmented
- Blends very well
What We Dislike:
- The set does not come with a color chart unlike other sets
- Not available for individual purchase
- Some light colors are patchy
Sakura Cray-Pas Expressionist Oil Pastels
With 50 non-toxic pastel sticks of different shades, there’s a lot to love about the Sakura Cray-Pas Oil Pastels. This is another high-quality pastel with an affordable price tag that’s great for beginners and professionals alike.
The Sakura Cray-Pas Expressionist Pastels have been deemed as one of the best oil pastels in the market because of their performance. Despite it being student-grade, this set of pastels are above average. It is inexpensive, it blends well, each color is rich in pigments, has great texture, is very opaque, and you have the option to buy a single stick when you run out of your favorite colors.
What We Like:
- Inexpensive
- Ideal for beginners
- Non-toxic
- Smooth and soft texture for easy application
- Colors are rich and vibrant and easily blended
- They’re sold individually
What We Dislike:
- Packaging is poor
- Less range of colors despite having a 50-piece set
Pentel Arts Oil Pastels
Pentel, as a brand, is very well-known when it comes to producing quality writing and art supplies. With that said, Pentel has also one of the best oil pastels in the market.
The brand focuses on supplies for students and so, one of their priorities is to have an affordable price tag. The price of this pastel set is relatively low compared to other brands making it perfect for those who are just starting out and exploring the world of pastels.
The great thing about Pentel is that even though they have a low price point, the quality of their products isn’t compromised. The pigments of the colors may not be as impressive as those high-end brands, but they do create beautiful strokes on your paper. The pastels are easy to blend and comes in a wide range of colors. This set is great for children’s use, too, because of their ease of use and cheap price point.
What We Like:
- Very affordable price tag
- Perfect for beginners and children
- Highly blendable
- Suitable for multiple surfaces
- Acid-free and long-lasting
What We Dislike:
- Not available to purchase individually
Caran d’Ache Neopastels Oil Pastels
The oil pastels from Caran D’ache are the perfect pastels for people who are in between – not really a beginner anymore yet not exactly a professional either. The Caran D’ache oil pastels have a creamy and soft texture that makes them very easy to blend. The pastels are pigmented and give you vibrant results.
In the set, a color chart is included to give you detailed info about each pastel stick. It also has a visual guide on mixing colors. the color chart is very helpful for beginners and self-taught artists.
Price-wise, this brand is also in between. Most people gravitate towards this set because of its excellent quality and it is also available to purchase individually.
What We Like:
- The texture is very smooth and creamy
- Detailed color chart
- Available to purchase individually
- Excellent lightfastness and very opaque
What We Dislike:
- Some of the shades become dry which makes them hard to blend and work with
- Limited range of colors
Crayola Oil Pastels
This is a brand we all know and love, and whether you are into the arts or not, it would be ridiculous if you haven’t heard about this brand before.
Crayola has a variety of art products for children and students. Designed with an ergonomic grip, rich colors, and a creamy texture, the Crayola Oil Pastels definitely deserve to be on our list. These oil pastels are easy to blend and are able to produce both subtle hues and vibrant pop of colors. Whether it’s for a poster for an art class or an oil pastel masterpiece, the Crayola Oil Pastels will surely deliver.
What We Like:
- Affordable and good for children use
- Nice to use for backgrounds
- Comfortable grip
- Blending colors is easy
- The colors are rich and bright
- Non-toxic
- Has pointed tips for precise detailing
What We Dislike:
- The quality is not that great compared to high-end brands.
- Layering can be difficult
Loew-Cornell Oil Pastels
The Loew-Cornell Oil Pastels are amazing pastels at such an affordable price. They are long-lasting, have decent opacity, blend easily, and are excellent to use for larger work.
These non-toxic pastels are beginner-friendly and kids will enjoy using them as they glide through your paper smoothly. these pastels can be worked on different surfaces like a board, canvas, pastel paper, plaster, cards, textile, and more. Although they are smaller in size compared to others, these pastels can be sharpened to use for refining lines and strokes and fine detailing.
The Loew-Cornell Oil Pastels set comes with 60 pastel sticks at a very affordable price. Its color payoff is amazing and the sticks don’t easily crumble.
What We Like:
- Non-toxic so it’s safe for kids
- Affordable
- Colors are vibrant and bright
- An ideal choice for beginners
What We Dislike:
- Can be difficult to blend sometimes
- Poor packaging
What to Look for When Purchasing Oil Pastels
Selection of Colors
Oil pastels come in a wide range of colors and they are a feast in the eyes. They often come in sets of 12, 24, 48, etc. There are brands that offer an extensive collection of oil pastels and you’ll be overwhelmed with all the choices you have. In terms of deciding which to buy, always consider your skill and the project you’ll be working on. If you are still a beginner, opt for fewer colors. The more colors you have, the more difficult it is for you to work with unless you are already a pro who is in need of more shades for your artwork.
Opacity
Oil pastels are naturally bright and opaque. High-quality pastels have rich and fade-resistant colors which is what you should be looking for. Look for pastels with acid-free labels, this means that the pastels are resistant to humidity which will protect your work from fading.
Versatility
If you are working with different surfaces and mediums, the oil pastel’s versatility should be taken into consideration. Take into account how the pastels are easy to blend and if the pastels are water-soluble which can be used as watercolor pastels at the same time.
Quality and Texture
Oil pastels have a waxy consistency and with this texture, applying it on a surface is soft and smooth making blending and shading easy. Look for pastels that are sturdy and do not easily break.
Brand Reputation
When you invest in art materials, you’ll always look for the most reputable brand to ensure that the products you get are worth your money. When in doubt, all you have to do is to look for a list of popular and reputable brands. There are a lot of art brands offering great quality products and with experts reviewing these products, you’ll soon find one that will suit your liking.
Price
Another important thing to consider when buying oil pastels is the price range. What’s your budget and how much are you willing to spend for this medium? Oil pastels come in with a range of price tags. There are several cheap and affordable oil pastels that are of good quality if you don’t want to hurt your wallet, and there are expensive ones that have really impressive performance. Browse through online stores to get an idea about how much these pastels cost before making your decision.
Final Thoughts
Pastels are beautiful mediums to use and they create art pieces that just can’t be recreated with any other mediums. There are a lot of great brands producing great quality oil pastels and ultimately the choice will be dependent on your preference.
The list we made above is from our own opinions and hopefully, this article will help you in your decision in buying your set of oil pastels.
Until the next update, enjoy your art journey!
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